The Chocolate Soufflé. I came upon this quote in a Charles Olson poem recently: “The which riches are, saves the world.” which he attributed to John Smith in 1616. The original context was not expressed but the implication of Olson’s was not just the reexamination of the true measure of wealth but a ironic commentary on wealth’s ever-changing nature. You see, John Smith was talking about fishing in the near Atlantic. I would express richness as a chocolate soufflé in that, it is not in so much the nature of the wealth, but the suggestion to the mind of wealth, that is so compelling, much like the soufflé’s suggestion of chocolate, to the mind’s perfect conception, overcomes its faint taste. When perfectly executed, the confection’s lightness, the cocoa-tinged air trapped inside it, creates an illusion that the flavor can never, could never, match because it is at once confronted squarely by the remembrance, or worse the anticipation, of perfection. The pursuit of wealth becomes a confrontation between the object and subject, with the object of one’s desires never living up to the subjective expectation, so the conclusion is, “I just need more.” And more. We carry wealth inside us, each, and perfection as it can only exist in a world, person or God. Still, furtive hearts will persist in trying to save the world as it is and will resist any thought of themselves as perfect. Perfection is something to buy, not given to them as intrinsic and individual. So, sorry if I ruined that for you but I made you rich; well, in a sense. Hey, just forget I said anything. I don’t want to rock the Titanic…
